


A Campaign of Shock and Awe

by troublesomegay



Category: Evelyn Evelyn (Band), The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Character Study, Gen, IPRE Era
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-09-19
Packaged: 2019-03-17 17:57:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13664271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/troublesomegay/pseuds/troublesomegay
Summary: Enthusiasts of genuine tragedy and celebrity intrique, gird your mental loins for an authentic tale of unbelievable hardship and epic catastrophe!This wholly true and accurate account details the extraordinary lives of Lup and Taako, a darling but unfortunate pair of conjoined twins who brave extreme circumstances of calamity and adversity, such as the bizarre and bloody night of their birth and subsequent orphaning; their early years on a chicken farm; shocking encounters with depraved gentlemen; life in the circus; the terrible fates of their dearest friends; and concluding with the siblings' rise to interplanar fame!The first few chapters are taken verbatim from the album that inspired this fanfiction, with details changed to fit. Listen to it here: https://evelynevelyn.bandcamp.com/I struggled a lot while writing this on how I would write Lup's gender. I wanted to respect her identity while also having it make sense in the context of this story. After a lot of thinking I decided to use the term "boys" on occasion to describe the twins until the second chapter, when they are no longer infants. Please let me know if this isn't handled well. I tried my best to be respectful but I know I make mistakes!





	1. Closer Than Anything (Prologue)

**Author's Note:**

> I marked the warnings just to be safe. All events are evident more in subtext, but they happen only in chapter 2. More warnings will come before that chapter!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> https://evelynevelyn.bandcamp.com/track/evelyn-evelyn

_ Why do we bother to stay? _

_ Why are you running away? _

_ Don't you feel like severing? _

_ Everything's just come together at last... _

_ It's broken, I don't want to play! _

 

_ We grew up closer than most... _

_ Closer than anything... _

_ Closer than anything... _

_ Shared our bed and wore the same clothes _

_ Talked about everything _

_ Spoke about so many things _

 

_ What shall we wear tonight? _

_ What shall we eat today? _

_ Can we go ice skating? _

_ But we just did that yesterday... _

_ Should we be firemen? _

_ Can we be astronauts? _

_ What if the find us? _

_ They're not looking anyway... _

 

_ Why do we bother to stay? _

_ Why are you running away? _

_ Don't you feel like severing? _

_ Everything's just come together at last... _

_ It's broken, I don't want to play! _

 

_ Fill my glass! _

_ Let's drink a toast! _

_ This is our birthday...  _

_ So why are we weeping? _

_ At your side, I feel like a ghost... _

_ I wake up first and I stare at you sleeping... _

 

_ What shall we wear tonight? _

_ What shall we eat today? _

_ Do you think I should marry him? _

_ But we just met him yesterday... _

_ Should we be movie stars? _

_ Will we be millionaires? _

_ I want to be famous! _

_ They're watching us anyway... _

 

_ Why do we bother to stay? _

_ Why are you running away? _

_ Don't you feel like severing? _

_ Everything's just come together at last... _

_ It's broken, I don't want to play! _

 

_ We grew up so very close... _

_ A parasite needs a host... _

 

_ I'm only trying to do what is best for us! _

 

_ Well, I never asked for this! I never wanted this! _

_ All that I want is some time to myself! _

 

_ Looking in your eyes, I'm coming home... _

 

_ Just get away from me! _

_ Please just stop touching me! _

_ You're always trying to be somebody else! _

 

_ Now I realize I'm not alone... _

 

_ Well, you're only scared of me! _

_ But you never cared for me! _

_ Why don't you let me breathe? _

_ Cause you never dare to be! _

 

_ Cause you never listen, and you're always insisting on just reminiscing I feel something missing! _

 

_ I just want my privacy... Why can't you leave me alone? _

_ I just want you here with me... God, can't we just get along? _


	2. The Tragic Events of September, Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> https://evelynevelyn.bandcamp.com/track/the-tragic-events-of-september-part-i

The Tragic Events of September, Part I

“Are you there, Lup?”  
“Yes, course I am, I'm always here, Taako.”  
“I'm frightened. It's that time of year again, isn't it Lup?”  
“Yes, it is that time of year again, Taako.”  
“Tell me once more how it all happened, Lup?”  
“Hush now. We don't talk about that because it makes us sad.”  
“I won't be sad this time. I promise. Please?”  
“Tell me again about the tragic events of Autumn, Lup.”

On a small farm, a young elven mother is about to give birth.

The local doctor has predicted twins, which gladdens the hearts of the woman and her husband, who could certainly use the extra help around the farm.  
But the birth does not go well. The terrified father drives his screaming, hemorrhaging wife to the local clinic, a poorly funded facility housed in a timber and airstream trailer. The presiding physician is Dr. Charlie Von Coup, a local denture maker of dubious training with eccentric religious beliefs.

The labour is long and painful.  
The mother, Louisa Neville, had given up a promising career as a legal assistant to join her first and only love on a run down farm that was his only inheritance. May her soul rest forever in peace. She is pronounced dead by the doctor at 11:23 AM, on the 11th day of september, precisely 12 minutes after the birth of her twin sons.

The twins are parapagus, tripus, dibrachius twins, conjoined at the side and sharing between them: 3 legs, two arms, two hearts, three lungs and a single liver. Without hesitating, Dr. Von Coup places the infants on the operating table. Muttering biblical quotations of doubtful accuracy, the doctor leaves the trailer and returns with a gas powered chainsaw. The noise is deafening in the small space as he starts the engine and prepares for the gruesome operation.

At this very moment, Sheriff Wilbur Owens notices the Neville’s car parked outside. He steps in to see if he could be of assistance. Seeing the crazed doctor hovering above the newborns with the chainsaw about to collide with their innocent flesh, the valiant captain draws his pistol and fires.

As the bullet pierces his heart, the doctor stumbles backwards.

Samuel Neville, a timid, nervous man, who wanted nothing more than a quiet country life and many children is still in a state of shock over the death of his young wife and the alarming physiology of his children when he is struck in the neck by the chainsaw, killing him instantly.

Distraught, the good captain takes the crying infants to his car. He radios back to the station where it is arranged for the twins to be delivered to the Bethany Center for developmentally disabled youth. Sheriff Owens decides to deliver the twins to the Bethany Center personally. Less than an hour into the drive, an oncoming truck swerves and strikes the sheriff's car. The sheriff is thrown into the windshield, knocking him unconscious. He will die thirty minutes later from loss of blood.

Meanwhile, the world has become a sea of feathers as the truck’s cargo of live chickens, many of which are now seriously injured or dead spill into the road. A small awkward man limps out of the truck’s cab and cautiously approaches the sheriff’s vehicle. The man's eyes focus on the twins, calmly looking up at him from the back seat. Ignoring the dying captain, he takes them into his arms and sets them into the cb of the damaged vehicle. He unhitches the trailer, climbs into the cab, and continues down the highway.


	3. Tragic Events, Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> https://evelynevelyn.bandcamp.com/track/the-tragic-events-part-ii
> 
> Be warned that there is non-graphic, implied sexual abuse of children in this chapter! If that is triggering to you, please tread lightly! This is the only chapter that contains this kind of content.

“Are you crying, Lup?”  
“No... Well, yes. I was just thinking about Sandy. And about Bimba and Kimba. I miss them, Taako.”  
“I know, I miss them too. Especially this time of year, Lup.”

It is six years later, and on a remote chicken ranch, twin brothers are waiting for their supper.

The farm is old and operated by Alfred McCluck, an eccentric man with a fascination with ancient weaponry. McCluck leads a solitary life, never marrying and tending several of the chicken coops himself. A simple man with a not entirely bad heart, McCluck never knew how to best take care of the young boys who came into his life shortly after their birth. So he raised them the only way he knew how: in a 2-foot by 2-foot wire mesh cage on a diet of mash, crumbles, pellets and egg booster.

One clear Autumn day during the twins’ sixth year at the farm, McCluck does not come at mealtime. Night falls and still he doesn't appear. The boys and the chickens cry out from hunger.

Days pass and the chickens in neighboring cages begin to die. The smell of rotting poultry permeates the air of the hot, humid barn. Finally, desperate to find food and concerned over the whereabouts of their guardian, the twins break free from their cage. McCluck's house is locked tight, but the twins find a garden hose which quenches their thirst. Still half delirious with hunger, they make their way out to the road.

Little time passes before a dusty black car drives by and pulls over. A tall, mustached man with a kindly face steps out of the vehicle. He smiles at the boys and presents them with the first candy they had ever tasted, which they share in silent, odd delight. The twins do not feel at all uncomfortable when the man leads them gently into the dark, spacious trunk.

In the following days, the twins are transferred into the trunks of several other cars by many other kindly, candy-offering men until they reach their final destination at a lakeside lodge. The Underwood Lodge is a collection of cozy, waterfront cabins with an attached camping area along the shores of a large lake. It is also the headquarters of Budding Flowers Entertainment, specializing in the production and distribution of photographs and videos for clientele with unique tastes.

The twins are welcomed by Mrs. Deborah Boulger, the 52-year-old proprieter who insists they call her Auntie. She is a women of enormous proportions who lives with her own 3 children in the main lodge of the Underwood. Upon finding that the twins have no names, she christens them Taako and Lup, names which they are insistent upon keeping straight.

The twins’ days at the Underwood are relatively comfortable. They are well cared for, the food they learn to cook is delicious, and there are many other children their age. Once a week photo sessions take place, convivial affairs that involve make-up, a wide variety of dress up costumes and inventive new games. Every few days Auntie introduces the twins to one of their many uncles. These uncles, seemingly endless in number, travel from all over the world to visit their nephews. The twins don't always like their new uncles, but Auntie is always quick to remind them that _'family is family'_ and _'blood is thicker than water.'_

The conjoined twins are not popular amongst the other children. However, one gentle elven resident a few years their senior befriends them and takes them under her wing. Her name is Sandy. She has soft, blond hair that reaches down to her knees. Everyone says she looks like a mermaid. Dressed daily by Auntie in trademark fishnet stockings and vintage attire, Sandy is by far the most popular girl of the Underwood. She has so many uncles that the twins lose count. Every night after dinner and chores, Sandy tucks the young brothers into bed and tells them fantastic stories until they fall peacefully to sleep.

It is around this time that Lup begins to question her gender.

But these happy times do not last. Shortly after the twins' third Candlenights under Auntie's care, Sandy disappears - never to return.

The twins remain in the Underwood for the greater part of two, long, miserable years. Without Sandy to protect them, they are ostracized and abused by the other children. The portrait sessions involve fewer fancy costumes, and over time their uncles become more peculiar, and more cruel. The twins begin to notice the disturbing tendency for children, much like their dear friend Sandy - to quietly disappear from the Underwood around their 12th or 13th birthday. The twins brace themselves for something terrible.

One autumn, when the twins are eleven, an old man, who doesn’t speak common, loads the twins into a large orange van and drives them to their new home. Dillard and Fullerton’s elusive and illogical traveling show is the 12th largest touring circus in the country. Former insurance salesmen, Dillard and Fullerton distinguish their enterprise by procuring the most shocking specimen of the grotesque and unusual. Their small administrative staff works tirelessly to combat legal actions and public allegations of animal cruelty and slave trafficking.

Life in the circus is harder than their time at the Underwood. There is always work to be done. In addition to their chores of cooking and sweeping, Mr. Dillard insist that the twins spend many hours each day learning and practicing their magic act. The twins are frightened of the clowns, several of whom, by amazing coincidence, also happen to be their uncles.

But still, overall these early days at the circus are happy time for the twins. Every night to the delight of audiences across the country, the girls appear in the center ring, waving and casting flashy spells at the top of Bimba and Kimba - the world's only known conjoined twin Siamese elephants. The twins feel they have found true soul mates in Bimba and Kimba, who they affectionately refer to as 'Elephant Elephant'. This special bond is reciprocated by the pachyderms, who fondly nuzzle the twins with their trunks and seem to delight in giving them rides. The twins and the elephants are inseparable.

With the help of the Alphonso de Arresting, the animal trainer, they tend to the elephants, feeding them and grooming them daily.  
But one terrible August morning, Bimba and Kimba refuse to take their food. Due to the unsanitary conditions of their quarters and an improper diet of popcorn and cotton candy, the elephants have contracted a rare form of elephantine diphtheria compounded by early onset Alzheimer's disease.

For the next two weeks can only stand by helplessly, as their companions become sicker and weaker and begin displaying obvious signs of memory loss. The last few days are almost unbearable, with Bimba and Kimba's confused, sad eyes looking up at the twins with great anguish, but no hint of recognition. And on one grim autumn day, Elephant Elephant dies. The funeral is held that same day at an industrial trash compactor behind a hardware store.

The twins are devastated. Without Bimba and Kimba, life is but a terrible and meaningless void. They resign themselves to living out the rest of their hollow existence in solemn mourning. The emotionally exhausted siblings fall from favor within the circus. No longer willing to perform their old act without their friends, the twins are dressed in a pink tutu and forced to balance on a giant red ball, an impossible task for the conjoined siblings.

The audience roars with laughter each time they awkwardly fall.

Their discomfort is increased by a pair of radical groups who have taken an interest in the twins. Every night in most major cities, protesters assemble, noisily waving signs and chanting slogans in front of the Box Office. The first faction claims to represent an organization called 'FASSEN' - the Foundation for Always Separating Siamese Twins Everywhere Now. Citing their religious texts, FASSEN members vehemently believe that it is the will of their God that all conjoined twins be separated and allowed to live individual lives. Wielding symbolical surgical saws and blunt carving knives, FASSEN members chide the ticket-buyers for supporting the abomination of god.

The second group operates under the acronym SPLIT - the Society for the Preservation of Linked Identical Twins. A reactionary organization, working to discredit the claims of FASSEN, SPLIT believes that conjoined twins will play a critical role in the second coming of Christ. The twins are terrified by both groups - the knives and saws make them very nervous, and SPLIT members make threats to kidnap the twins and take them to where they will be kept safe in a place of darkness until the rapture.

One day before Sunday matinee, a chaotic brawl erupts between the two factions, and one FASSEN member gets alarmingly close to the twins with a hacksaw. Stricken with fear, the siblings decide that they are no longer safe at the circus.

That night, they make a resolution - to leave the Dillard and Fullerton traveling show, forever.


	4. Tragic Events, Part III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> https://evelynevelyn.bandcamp.com/track/the-tragic-events-part-iii-2
> 
> At this point this story diverges from the original album. My original writing makes its debut!

“Lup? Lup?  
“I just had the most terrible dream. I was walking on a street in a huge city, but all of the shops and all of the cars were empty. It was so quiet, and I knew that something was very wrong. And then I realized... you weren't there. I called for you, but no one answered. I looked for you everywhere, Lup.”  
“Hush, it was only a dream. Don't be scared. Remember, everything is going to be better soon, Taako.”  
  
On an open stretch of road, two siblings are waiting for a ride. On the eve of their 19th birthday, the twins have covertly left their circus trailer, packing their few worldly possessions: a change of clothes, their wands, and a battered photo of Bimba and Kimba.

  
They walk nine miles under cover of night. After what seems like an endless wait, an 18-wheeled truck pulls over and the driver, a retired professional wrestler named Tony, offers the twins a ride.  
_“Hey, why don't you slide on up in here, next to Tony.”_  
Unskilled at small talk, the twins sit wide-eyed and silent. The driver, who had not initially noticed the twin's unique condition, leaves the siblings at a gas station.

  
Not knowing where to go, the twins walk into the nearby Don't Tell Motel, run by one Montgomery Lubovich. When it becomes apparent that they have no means to pay for their stay, Mister Lubovich offers to employ them in exchange for lodging and food.  
_"Well you can stay here, but it ain't gonna be free."_  
The twins are given a small cot in the corner of the kitchen and are put to work preparing food and cleaning up after the patrons.  


More so than ever before, the twins feel lonely at the Don't Tell. They dream of befriending some of the other tenants, many of whom are women their age.  
But whenever the shy siblings work up the courage to approach one of these potential friends, they are met with looks of fear and disgust.  
_"Oh my god. Candie, that_ thing _is looking at us"_

_"Ewww"_

  
So they busied themselves by inventing recipes and practicing their magic techniques. Taako finds his talents in Transmutation, while Lup enjoys the power of Evocation.  


After two years at the Don't Tell, the twins meet a traveler. He comes into the kitchen while they are cooking, and is awed by their skill. In this moment, the shy twins are in their element, laughing and working together in perfect sync as ingredients fly about the room and Lup adjusts the flames they are using to cook. The traveler asks where they learned magic, startling the twins. It is when they turn to face him that he realizes their unique state. When the siblings tell him that they taught themselves magic, the man is silent again for a moment. He says he is a recruiter for the Academy, a place for the best and the brightest go to learn. If they want it, there is a place for them there. If they do well there, there will be opportunities for them. He leaves them to think about it, and says he will return in the morning for their answer.

 

The twins do not sleep well that night. While neither are happy at the Don't Tell, they are safe and well fed. Lup thinks they can make friends at the Academy, and learn so much more than they'd be able to on their own. Taako is afraid that this is a trick, that the man is actually a member of FASSEN or SPLIT that has finally managed to track them down.

That night is the first time they have ever fought.

 

The next morning, they pack up their few belongings: a change of clothes, their wands, a battered painting of Bimba and Kimba, and the few magic books they had managed to acquire. When they meet the man, he asks if they need to say goodbye.

The twins do not have anyone to say goodbye to.

 


	5. The Academy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The twins' time at the Academy, and the beginning of the IPRE.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long since an update! My life exploded all at once and I haven't had the energy to write. <3

Their time at the Academy is full of difficult but fulfilling work. Their days are spent studying theory, practicing spellwork, and sneaking away to find comfort in the kitchens and cooking. They find few friends among their classmates, but the kitchen workers are quickly charmed by the twins and welcome their company. 

After five long years at the Academy, Lup and Taako graduate at the top of their class. They find work as researchers, and are given a shared office to work from. The work is dull, but it is stable and allows them to afford a small room in the city. The twins are content and safe, but, having left their friends at the Academy behind, they are once again alone. 

 

Some time after their graduation the Light of Creation is recovered, and life for the twins, as well as everyone on the planet, is changed forever. The fields of science, technology, and arcana progress at a speed that no one had anticipated. Medical advancements are made, and procedures that would have previously been deadly can now be performed. 

 

One day on their way to work, a brightly colored poster catches Lup’s eye. They take a look, and see it’s advertizing the search for candidates for an exclusive mission funded by the Institute of Planar Research and Exploration. Lup is thrilled, and it takes little urging on her part to convince Taako to apply. They send in an application with both their names on it, and some time later they receive an envelope addressed to  _ Lup Taako _ , followed by their address. Enclosed is a sheet of paper thanking them for applying and with the date and time of their interview, the next step of the application process. 

 

The siblings show up at the Institute, dressed in their nicest dress. Upon their arrival they are shown to a meeting room. There are two people seated at the far side table: a human woman and a gnomish man, with a single chair facing them.

“Lup Taako?” asks the human woman sitting at the center of the table.

“That's me,” the twins reply in unison.

“What?” she asks, frowning.

“I'm Lup.”

“And I'm Taako,” Taako adds. “We're a package deal. That’s why we applied together.”

“I see,” says the woman, glancing at her companion. “Well, this is most unusual.”

“Have a seat,” the gnome man says hurriedly, then grimaces when he remembers the single chair. “Oh, I'm sorry, um…” 

“Not a problem,” Taako replies, taking out his wand to transmute the chair into a bench. The twins sit and wait for someone to speak. 

The woman glances at the gnome before saying, “We don't normally allow joint applications.”

Lup straightens their shoulders, frowning. “Taako and I graduated top of our class at the Academy. Together.”

“Yes, of course,” she assures them, clearing her throat. “This is just a little unusual, you must understand. Thank you for coming and meeting with us, I’m the director of the Institute and head of the committee that is creating this team.” She gestures to the gnome beside her. “This is Captain Davenport, and he will be leading this mission.” 

Captain Davenport nods to the twins. “I assume you’ve heard of the Light of Creation?” He continues before they have a chance to reply. “One of the things we discovered while studying the Light’s power is that any two things in existence, from the whales in the sea to the dust in the air, are connected by Bonds. These are the infinite unobservable threads holding the matter of our universe together. In a manner of speaking, the interpersonal connections that we share are a type of Bond, too. Emotion. Sympathy. Things like that. Our developers at the Institute have managed to create a  ship that is able to travel between planes using the power of these bond.”

Here, the Director takes over. “We are putting together a team that will be facing nothing we’ve ever seen before. We have no idea what awaits beyond this plane, and candidates need to be prepared to handle anything. Everyone on this team will fulfil certain roles, so we need a clear idea of what everyone’s skills are. It says on your application that you majored in Evocation and Transmutation. Are those separate, or did you…?”

“We both attended classes for both focuses, if that’s what you’re asking,” Taako says.

“I mostly paid attention in Evocation, though,” Lup interjects. “Transmutation is boring.” 

“You just like to set stuff on fire,” Taako retorts. “Transmutation’s way cooler.”

Lup’s only response is to stick her tongue out at her brother. 

“I see in your application that you listed ‘cooking’ amongst your skills,” the Director says, though it sounds more like a question.

“We learned when we were kids,” the twins answer together.

“Auntie taught us how,” Taako adds.

“Well, that’s good to hear,” Captain Davenport says, smiling. “Not many candidates have listed that as a skill.”


	6. The Institute of Planar Research and Exploration

A few days after they receive the Director's letter, a team of scientists, doctors, and mages approach the twins, asking them to participate in their research into conjoined twins.

After much deliberation, Lup and Taako agree. They quickly find that they do not care for being touched and prodded, observed and questioned. They feel small, for the first time since they left the Underwood.

Lup begs Taako to continue. The researchers claim they are close to a way to separate the twins, and Lup aches for the freedom it would allow her. Taako is afraid to lose his sister. But he agrees to keep going. After all, perhaps the research will be futile.

The research is not futile.

News of the procedure reaches the twins quickly. It is risky and experimental, and Taako wants to refuse. But the excitement on Lup’s face when they hear the news stops him. He takes a breath, and nods. Lup can feel his fear, and rests her head against his.

When they are finally alone she says, “Thank you for doing this, Koko. I know it's scary. But think of all the things we'll be able to do if this works. We could apply to the Institute, explore the planar system.”

“We could do that together.”

“No we couldn't. You know that, Taako. If we stay like this, we'll be stuck at a desk for the rest of our lives. Don't you want adventure, Taako?”

“I don't want you to disappear, Lup,” he whispered.

“We'll always be together. Even if we're not attached, no one is ever going to be able to separate us, Taako.”

 

The procedure goes well. The first weeks after the separation are tumultuous and challenging for the twins. They now each have two arms, two legs, two lungs, one heart, and one liver to themselves. Learning to move and live independently is harder than they had anticipated. In the early days, the twins could often be found walking pressed together, arms wrapped around each other's waists.

Once they grow accustomed to their new physical forms, Lup and Taako flourish. They discover new clothes that they had never been able to wear, and delight in being able to hug each other. Taako still finds it difficult to meditate alone, but he learns to take comfort in the new activities they are able to do.

The twins send a letter to the Director, asking her to reconsider them for the mission. To Lup's delight and Taako's hidden dismay, their application is accepted. For a moment Taako considers staying behind on their home planet, but the tightness in his chest snuffs that idea almost as fast as he could think it. Neither of his options are what he wants: his greatest fear, the possibility of losing his sister if he went with her, or definitely losing his sister if he stays behind.

 

Meeting the rest of their crew does nothing to assuage his fears of being left behind. Lup falls easily into conversation with a human named Magnus Burnsides while Taako watches jealously from a few feet away. He only pauses in his glowering when he feels a hand on his elbow. When he looks down, he sees Davenport, the gnome who will be their captain on this two month journey.

“I'm proud of you two,” Davenport says quietly. “It's very brave of you to do what you did. I need you to know, I wanted you on this mission regardless of if you were separate. That procedure wasn't a requirement. I'm sorry if we made you feel like you had to change to be here.”

Taako feels his face grow hot with anger. “What do you mean? You're telling me that we could have – we didn't have to –“ He can't say the words. “She sent us a letter. She told us we–“ He trails off, blinking back the tears he can feel behind his eyes.

Davenport's face grows dark. “She did what?” he asks, voice quiet.

Taako reaches into one of his many pockets, fishing out a creased letter. He hands it to his Captain wordlessly.

As the gnome reads, his expression grows stormier. When he is finished, he crushes the paper in his grip. “I need to take care of this. Tell the others something came up. Enjoy the party.”

  
Taako does not enjoy the party. He pulls his aloof persona around himself like the cloak he wishes he was wearing and schmoozes with the other, trying to avoid clinging to his sister.

 

Davenport approaches Taako at the final training session before they are set to depart on the mission. “I did some looking into your situation. I'm sorry, Taako, but there's nothing I can do to help you right now. I'm so very angry about what you were forced to do to be part of this mission, it should have been your choice, if you ever wanted to separate. We could go to the press, try to make this a scandal, but we'd likely be removed from this mission. And Taako? My whole life is this mission. I've always been working toward this, and even if it's selfish I won't jeopardize my place here. But when we get back, Taako? I will bring down hell. You have my word.”

Taako tells himself that he’ll tell Lup of these developments when they are safely off-world. She’d be devastated if they lost their place on the mission because of her fiery temper, and he refuses to risk their place on this mission, not when they've gone through so much to get here.


	7. The Stolen Century

The day they are to depart on the Starblaster’s inaugural mission, the sky is dark with storm clouds. The twins are nervous all through the final checks, and they can see that same emotion on the faces of the rest of the crew, all except Davenport. Their captain is calm and confident as he leads the Starblaster up and through the storm.

From their positions on the main deck, the entire crew has front row seats to the apocalypse. Columns of black reach down to their world, surrounding it. Davenport calls out to the Institute, desperate for a response. Taako and Lup cling to each other as their captain dodges the black tendrils reaching for the Starblaster, the only sound their captain’s distant, unanswered shouts as they all wait for what comes next.  


 

What comes next is a planet thick with forest and completely devoid of people. Taako and Lup stick together that year, learning the Beast language from the family of mongeese. Barry tags along, much to Taako’s displeasure. The human had consistently sought out Lup’s company during trainings, and Taako can’t help but wonder what he wants from them. So far Barry has been nothing but friendly, but Taako is all too aware of how quickly that can change.

When he voices his fears to Lup, she sighs and tells him to chill. “After all,” she says, “he’s too much of a nerd to be dangerous. And if he tries anything I’ll just blast him. Magic powers, remember?” She illustrates her point by sending a blast of fire up into the trees above them, showering the pair in ashes. “Oops, my b,” she laughs and brushes some off her brother’s shoulder. “I can take care of myself, Koko. Trust me, even if you don’t trust anyone else.” She gives him a hug and walks back toward the Starblaster, leaving Taako to stare after her with countless words stuck behind his throat.

 

The Hunger arrives and the Starblaster crew fall into routines. Through the years Taako is distant, aloof, choosing to work on solitary projects or with Lup. Lup, on the other hand, splits her time between him and the crew. She drags him with her, encourages him to eat _with_ the crew instead of just _near_ them. It’s at one of these meals that Taako catches himself laughing at something Magnus says, catching himself off guard -- when had he started paying attention?

 

As time passes he warms to the crew. The crooked smiles come easier, the laughter and jokes fall from his tongue without his noticing. He doesn’t trust them, but he starts to think that maybe, someday, he could.


End file.
